His importance wasn’t that of an Andrew Luck, Reggie Wayne or Jerrell Freeman but one should not forget the impact of Darius Butler last season.

Butler had two interceptions returned for touchdowns last year, both coming in road victories.

“Anytime you make plays, especially big plays to change a game, it does something for your confidence,” Butler now says. “Your confidence is real important especially on that back end. Anytime I make a play, even in practice, it does something for you.”

During the Colts 2013 training camp, Butler has continued to make plays with several interceptions during the first week of work.

In 2012, the Colts defense forced just 15 turnovers and Butler said that is something they are harping on in camp.

The secondary has been particularly active early on getting their hands on numerous balls.

“We could be the best in the league if we come out, work every day, feed off each other,” Butler said of the secondary. “We’ve got a lot of years back there at the safeties and me, Vontae (Davis) and Greg (Toler), we all came in in ‘09 and have been playing some good ball. The more we work together, the better we can play.”

Butler joined the Colts during the bye week last season and was a critical pickup during the Colts 11-5 year.

Colts defensive coordinator Greg Manusky said Butler has continued to play off his success last season and is currently the team’s nickel cornerback.

“You saw him last year do that. He did it a couple times in the first couple of practices we had,” Manusky said of Butler’s playmaking ability. “He has great ball skills. He’s competing just like all the other players are, but I love him.”

It appears the Colts have found some quality depth at the cornerback position which is a welcoming sight with not one corner on this year’s roster having been on the team prior to OTAs in 2012.

Butler knows the Colts have the potential for a championship level defense and he’s doing his part to get to the pinnacle.

“Everybody has the same goal this time of year and that’s to get to New York in February. There’s no greater motivation than that. You want to do it for the guy next to you, yourself, and your team.”

The national media are making their in roads in Anderson this week and Jason La Canfora from CBS and John Clayton from ESPN both have pieces on the Colts. Also, Mike Chappell takes a look at Daniel Adongo and five takeaways from Thursday’s practice.

Each morning Colts.com will take a look at the top headlines surrounding the Indianapolis Colts from around the globe. What is the local and national media saying about the Colts?

La Canfora spent Thursday at Colts training camp and came away very impressed by the job Ryan Grigson has done in the past year.

It’s not as if he didn’t savor and relish each accomplishment along the way, but there was so much to do at the micro level that sometimes the macro gains couldn’t be truly appreciated until there was time to take a step back. Of course, everyone in this organization, from Grigson on down, is far from satisfied with a season in which the Colts went from worst in the NFL to giving the eventual Super Bowl champ Ravens a good game before succumbing in the Wild Card round.

“He’s unbelievable,” Pagano said. “I don’t know if the guy sleeps to be honest with you, because it’s everyday. I don’t think there’s a minute that goes by that he’s not thinking about the roster, thinking about the organization, what he can do to give us the best chance to win.

“He’s a tireless worker, he’s got a great eye for talent. It’s been awesome. The communication is always there we’re always on the same page moving forward. It’s a perfect storm for myself and our coaches and players.”

Clayton leaves Colts training camp impressed by what he saw in Anderson.

In this piece he talks about the Colts magical 2012 season before breaking down five different things he learned during his stay.

So often, though, magical playoff teams turn into one-year wonders. There’s a sudden drop-off the next year. Wisely, the Colts built on their success. General manager Ryan Grigson attacked unrestricted free agency with $134 million worth of contracts. Arians left for the Arizona Cardinals, so Pagano brought Pep Hamilton from Stanford to be the offensive coordinator. Hamilton is making the offense a moving target, switching more to the run.

As long as Luck is their quarterback, the Colts know they have a horseshoe of good fortune on the side of their helmets.